On a chat group, someone asked how people prioritize what they want to do in order to actually get things done.  (I'm paraphrasing)

So how *do* people decide what needs to be done and get it done?

Cheers,

Laura

Comments

Wed, 08/26/2009 - 17:34

Alaire Rieffel (not verified)

 

I work 3 days a week, so on my days off I try to dedicate the period from 4 pm to 6 pm to weaving, after a day of chores.  This coincides with "All Things Considered" on NPR, so I stay pretty well informed at the same time!

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 02:59

crosstownshuttler (not verified)

I seem to work best when I have a deadline so I try create some. I belong to a challenge group that meets every couple of months. I tie weaving to events such weddings, baby showers,etc. I tried to weave something to wear to MAFA, but work and the deadline collided and work won.

I also try to utilize the chunks of time when I'm not working (I freelance) to set up a project on the loom. That way I can weave in the shorter amounts of time I have when I'm working. 

Unexciting things like fringe twisting get done while I listen to Syne's Weavecast (I make too many mistakes if I listen while I'm weaving).

Avoiding housework works, too ;^).

Carie

Fri, 08/28/2009 - 03:30

tien (not verified)

I'm pretty organic about my approach.  At any given time, I have one Main Project, and then I may or may not have side projects.  I work on the Main Project when I have free time, and when I need a break from the Main Project, I work on side projects as I have time/energy.  But at all times, my focus is on getting the Main Project done.

At any given point, I'm pretty focused on the Main Project, and I'm always clear about which projects are highest-priority.  I don't formalize anything by making lists - if I have more than four or five things in addition to the Main Project, it's just a distraction and I drop it off the end of the queue.

I used to have a lot of different projects going on at once, but now I try to keep my focus in one spot.  Right now is a small exception; because I'm (briefly, I hope!) unemployed, I'm working simultaneously on weaving my wedding dress and on revamping my website.  But it's very clear to me that the wedding dress is the higher priority!

So, this week my projects in the queue are: Wedding Dress, Web Redesign, tomato soup, making fruitcake, bobbin lace.  The ones in caps are the major projects, the others are fitting in when I don't have energy for the others.

House-cleaning is at the very bottom of the queue, which is probably why my house is such a mess!

Fri, 08/28/2009 - 10:24

Little Meadows (not verified)

Personally I'm a list maker which probably came about since my mother was a list maker and we all had one at our cereal bowl in the morning, so lo these many years I find it helps clear my mind.  Regular lists are written like this:

1. Labour Day show

a. look over stock & evaluate

b. finish all grey goods

c. prep display materials

d. inspect tent

I do this on paper with pencil,  not on a computer, this way I can add thoughts in between the a,b,c etc.  By breaking things down in to smaller sets I can then see where they can dovetail into the rest of the day and my work here at the farm.  In order to get anything accomplished 2 balls really have to be up in the air at the same time ... probably the case for most of us. 

Major prioritizing lists are the same but are focused on what I want to learn in the next 3-4 months (tend to think seasonally). These lists aren't cast in stone but if I stick to them I can resist flying off after something that's intriguing just because it's new to me.  I put that idea down on the list of what to consider for the next quarter.  My lists tend to get lost unless I put them on the fridge since my house is taken over with work ....which is not balancing at all.  It's hard to relax when surronded by work that needs doing.  I need to figure out how to change that.  Liese

Fri, 08/28/2009 - 23:46

doreenmacl (not verified)

I do have a hard time prioritizing!! But deadlines seem to work for me. At the moment I am seriously behind so will get busy in my studio tomorrow. First I have to do some housekeeping in there and then get on with the warp I was making for a baby blanket (the baby is now 7 months old! lucky it is crib size) but other "priorities materialized in the meantime. I never give up hope though and usually accomplish most of my projects eventually. Fortuantely, I weave only for pleasure so can afford to be a bit hap hazard.